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Versace... and the Pain of Knock-Offs.

I bought a Versace watch. (Not pictured)

Knock off.

Imitation.

From a Lagos traffic seller.
It really was an awesome piece.
Of course I wasn’t deceived, I knew it was fake when I paid less than a quarter
of its original’s value for it. This was years ago, back in the day when imitations
were authentic, and lasted for years.

It looked so authentic, like an original piece. I could afford to get away with
my deceit when I wore it ... No shadow of doubt was cast. You see, I had
friends who had eyes to effectively spot a fake from a mile away... but it was
me, Joy, their too cool for knock offs
friend, thus they doubted their truth and took on my deceit, without me
having to defend it. I mean, I wouldn't have denied if they asked me, or maybe I would. *Shrug*

One day, one of those friends wanted to take a closer look at it. One minute we
were laughing over something and the next, he asked to take a closer look at my
watch. Not because he wanted to check the authenticity, he thought it was a
beautiful piece, and as one into luxury goods, he wanted a closer look, to
decide if he wanted to buy same as a gift for his girlfriend, as we were going birthday
gift hunting that day.

I refused!

Vehemently refused!

There was no way I was going to let him
near my wrist, because then, up-close, with his authenticity filtered eyes, he would spot the fake, feel the fake, smell the fake
and even hear the fake beyond the credibility they had stamped on me.
Oh, it was so much stress wearing that watch. Do you know how much stress goes
into wearing a knock off? Always wondering if you have been found out.
The truth is I didn’t buy that watch to score points, (I’m not brand name crazy, I love them, but I am not so insecure that I
feel like I have failed in life if I can’t afford one) I bought it because
I loved it ... but then your credibility is threatened if you’re found out. Questions
are asked about the other authentic things you have been spotted with, were they even real?

A lot of people put on the fake. They talk the fake.
Put up pictures of their devotional and bible verses online.
From this side of the screen it looks good.
Authentic!
We admire... commend even.
Comment some more. Then drop a lot of applause emoji.
Wow! Such a God fearing individual. Oh, what a great husband/wife they would
make, we daydream about them.

Real recognize real!

Then we get closer... behind the
screens of phones, iPads and laptops...
We take a look, not because we suspect, but because we admire. And we all want
to get close to what we admire.

But it doesn’t feel as it looks.

Fake.

The lifestyles on both sides of the screens are different. Poles apart.

It’s
all for the gram fam!
This thing is beyond deep quotes,
church selfies/instagram stories and photo ops with men of God.
Bible verses stand side by side with the videos filled with cussing and
wilding.

Ah ah, pick a struggle.
Light has to give way to darkness.
You can’t have light and darkness living peacefully together via God has asked us to live peaceably
with all men, and self-righteous declarations of do not judge.

The Bible quotes are not lived or in the storehouse of the heart.

These are hard truths... we can't just keep skipping over them, they need to be uncovered, uprooted and dealt with.

There are people who you never suspect for wearing a fake, so you never
question the authenticity of certain decisions, certain lifestyles, certain
ideas, certain advice etc
So they mislead many who believe in the authenticity of what they’re wearing or
saying in this case. So you see young people who look at their role models posting their devotionals online, and clubbing every night, thinking it's ok afterall.

Loads of fakes being paraded online and offline.
It’s your duty not to be misled.
If I’m quoting scriptures and twerking up a storm to vulgar music on the gram, and you know, just being generally questionable... don’t follow blindly.

Don’t get it twisted, God’s standard still stands. God’s standard cannot be hoodwinked.
If you’re not wearing the original, then what’s the point?
Let your quest for Integrity be authentic.
Let your quest for Purity be authentic. (All those crude jokes...)
Let your love walk be true. (Enough of the gossip, slander & backbiting about the same people you profess to love online)

We are not perfect, but we walk on the
path to attain perfection, learning as we go. Learning from mistakes, and not falling in and living in sin.)

What’s the point of playing church if
it isn’t real to you? If you truly believe it is what it is, this faith you proclaim, then wear it’s labels and leave the fake, or walk authentically outside the
faith if you don’t believe it.

God says its either Hot or Cold... Luke warm is not desireable in the lest bit. (Rev 3:16)

Its so hard wearing a knock off.

As I was about to post this, I saw
these quotes that resound with the post from Ocholi Okupeta… (you should follow
his page on instagram @relationshipandmarriage

“Life
is more than you see. Some people are well packaged disasters!”

“Some people are just well managed mirages in life; looking
all great until you come close enough to discover the rot hidden behind the “wonder”
that they are”

God's love for you is authentic... Don't let your perversion for Knock-offs drive you away from boldly owning this authentic and priceless love that the blood of Jesus has afforded you. After the applauds from the people hailing your 'gram' life have faded, guilt and self-condemnation always finds a way in to those who are not living in the fullness f the authentic life God has given.